Lake Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 46 Minnesota lakes · 3 in Michigan

Lake Trout is a cold-water species, so the lakes where it is documented tend to be the deep, well-oxygenated basins that stay cold through the summer. 49 lakes carry a record. Lake Trout is narrowly distributed — only 46 lakes in Minnesota and 3 in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Trout presence is itself a water-quality signal: a Minnesota lake that supports a Lake Trout population is almost certainly running cold enough and oxygenated enough to also support healthier overall water quality. Trout-supporting lakes are almost universally A- or B-grade — the cold, deep, well-oxygenated conditions trout need produce the higher grades almost as a side effect.

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Lake Trout Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented lake trout, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Lake Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Birch Lake	Cook	A	18 ft	69 ft
2	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	157 ft
3	Trout Lake	Cook	A	18.4 ft	77 ft
4	Big Trout Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.9 ft	128 ft
5	Bluewater Lake	Itasca	A	18.5 ft	120 ft
6	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	A	16 ft	126 ft
7	Mayhew Lake	Cook	A	20.6 ft	84 ft
8	Loon Lake	Cook	A	17.4 ft	202 ft
9	Gunflint Lake	Cook	A	16.5 ft	200 ft
10	Flour Lake	Cook	A	18.2 ft	75 ft
11	Bearskin Lake	Cook	A	21 ft	78 ft
12	Greenwood Lake	Cook	A	15.1 ft	112 ft
13	Mukooda Lake	St. Louis	B	16.6 ft	78 ft
14	Little Trout Lake	St. Louis	B	20.3 ft	95 ft
15	Snowbank Lake	Lake	B	15.1 ft	150 ft
16	Namakan Lake	St. Louis	NR	11.5 ft	150 ft
17	Crooked Lake	Cook	NR	5.5 ft	66 ft
18	Caribou Lake	Itasca	NR	31 ft	152 ft
19	Hanson Lake	Lake	NR	18 ft	100 ft
20	East Bearskin Lake	Cook	NR	14 ft	66 ft
21	Pine Lake	Cook	NR	16.9 ft	113 ft
22	Duncan Lake	Cook	NR	21.5 ft	130 ft
23	Rose Lake	Cook	NR	14.6 ft	130 ft
24	Kemo Lake	Cook	NR	17 ft	65 ft
25	Ogishkemuncie Lake	Lake	NR	11.5 ft	75 ft
26	Strup Lake	Lake	NR	10 ft	195 ft
27	Ester Lake	Lake	NR	18.8 ft	110 ft
28	Little Saganaga Lake	Cook	NR	7 ft	150 ft
29	Topaz Lake	Lake	NR	17.6 ft	110 ft
30	Peter Lake	Cook	NR	22.5 ft	120 ft
31	Amoeber Lake	Lake	NR	18.8 ft	110 ft
32	Lac la Croix Lake	St. Louis	NR	8 ft	168 ft
33	Chaser Lake	Cook	NR	1 ft	65 ft
34	Mesaba Lake	Cook	NR	10 ft	65 ft
35	Tarry Lake	Cook	NR	13 ft	66 ft
36	Little Gunflint Lake	Cook	NR	16.2 ft	200 ft
37	South Lake	Cook	NR	26 ft	140 ft
38	Rivalry Lake	Lake	NR	10 ft	100 ft
39	Watap Lake	Cook	NR	9 ft	210 ft
40	Mountain Lake	Unknown	NR	19 ft	130 ft
41	Iron Chief Complex Lake	St. Louis	NR	24.5 ft	262.1 ft
42	Rove Lake	Cook	NR	9 ft	130 ft
43	Gilbert Pit Lake	St. Louis	NR	11.5 ft	443 ft
44	West Pike Lake	Cook	NR	19 ft	120 ft
45	Long Island Lake	Cook	NR	9.1 ft	85 ft
46	Sagamore Mine Lake	Crow Wing	NR	23.8 ft	210 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have lake trout?

Lake Trout are found in 46 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is A (Excellent).

What are the best lake trout lakes in Minnesota?

The best lake trout lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Birch Lake, Trout Lake, Trout Lake, Big Trout Lake, Bluewater Lake.

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.